


“Who gets the first dance?”

by MeMyselfandI2008



Series: Made with Love [1]
Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Competition, Cute, Dancing, Dancing Lessons, F/M, Fluff, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-12-30 03:45:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18307535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeMyselfandI2008/pseuds/MeMyselfandI2008
Summary: The Hero’s are attending a sponsorship party.Barnaby and Karina challenge each other to see who will be Kotetsu’s first dance.Pao-Lin is secretly Antonio’s wingman.Kotetsu and Ivan have a nice chat.





	“Who gets the first dance?”

**Author's Note:**

> I recently rewatched Tiger & Bunny and bought the comic book anthology, so I got a bit inspired to write this little fic about the cast and their little side adventures at a sponsorship party.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading!

“I really hate these things,” Barnaby muttered quietly to himself, adjusting his tie as he entered the massive room, searching the crowd for his partner, _But, at least I’ll finally get the chance to dance with Kotetsu..._ he thought, smiling softly as his gaze fell on said partner. He was over by the food table, talking to Antonio about something.

Barnaby felt someone lightly nudge him in the side with their elbow, “I’m going to dance with him first,” Karina stated, shooting a hard glare at Barnaby.

“Is that a challenge, Blue Rose?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and returning her glare.

Karina let out a light huff, crossing her arms, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Barnaby smiled a sickly sweet smile, “You’re scared you’ll lose?” he hummed.

Before Karina could counter the statement, they had been approached by two different people, both requesting a dance. Of course, neither of the hero’s could refuse the offer, as it was their job to be respectful towards possible sponsors.

As they accepted their separate offers, they exchanged a glance, both thinking the exact same thing.

_Challenge, it is._

+

Kotetsu hummed along to the song that was playing, listening to Antonio talk about his secret crush, as he snacked on various food items.

“Everytime I look at them, I just feel weird... Like I’m not _good_ enough for them, and being with me would give them a bad image,” Antonio explained, staring off into the sea of people, in search of his crush, “And, if I’m not good enough for them, then doesn’t that mean I’m never going to have a chance with them? I doubt their even interested in me...”

“Well,” Kotetsu spoke up, absentmindedly fiddling with his wedding ring, “Have you _asked_ them if they’re interested in you?”

Antonio shifted his gaze to the floor, “No...” he quietly muttered.

The reaction earned a light laugh from Kotetsu, “That’s your problem!” he exclaimed, giving his friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder, “You’ve gotta ask them if they like you instead of worrying so much about if they don’t like you. If I had worried about getting rejected than Tomoe and I wouldn’t have gotten married,” his voice grew a little quieter at the mention of his wedding proposal, a sincerity in his voice, “If you spend your whole life worrying about something, you’ll miss out on what could be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made.”

Antonio felt a weight lift off of his shoulders, smiling wide, “Thank’s, Ko—“ he paused, catching himself as a group of people walked by, “ _Tiger_ ,” he corrected, “Maybe I’ll ask them for a dance later.”

“You should!” Kotetsu replied encouragingly, “And when you decide to ask them, I’ll be rooting for you.”

+

Keith nervously buttoned and unbuttoned his sleeve, taking a deep breath as he entered the room.

“What are you so worried about?” Pao-Lin asked by his side, “You’re the King of Hero’s! Shouldn’t you be used to big party events like this?”

“It’s not that,” Keith replied, “My sitter canceled, so I had to leave John at home by himself for the night, and I don’t usually like doing that because he tends to get scared when I‘m not home after certain hours,” he explained, a sad look in his eyes, “I just hope he’s okay...” 

Pao-Lin offered Keith a soft smile, “He probably gets scared because he’s worried about you, and once this whole thing is over you could make it up to him by paying him some attention,” she said, hoping that she gave Keith some type of reassurance.

The King of Hero’s smiled wide, “Of course! Thank you for the advice, Dragon Kid! And thanks again!” Keith chirped, gently patting her on the head.

The head pat earned him a light laugh, “No problem!” she replied, silently comparing Sky High’s head pat with Wild Tiger’s.

Keith didn’t have a bad head pat, but it made her feel more lively and excited than Kotetsu’s. His tended to make you feel calm and at ease. She liked both of their head pats, but she’d probably prefer Kotetsu’s over Keith’s.

“Sky High!” a group of girls exclaimed excitedly, swarming the King, asking if they could all have a dance with him.

Keith wasn’t sure how to respond, but put on his best hero smile, even though no one could see it because of the helmet, “I’d be happy to dance with all of you, if you’d all be interested in taking turns! Let’s give everyone a chance, okay!” he exclaimed, happily.

Pao-Lin let out a light laugh as Keith was dragged away by the swarm, shaking her head in amusement. She silently wished him luck, and wandered through the crowd, spotting Barnaby and Karina silently exchanging glares as they danced with their respective partners.

She gave a small hum, wondering what it was they were so angry about, but decided it was best to ignore them for now.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spied the food table, along with Kotetsu and Antonio. She quickly made her way over to the food, scanning over what she could possibly eat out of all the delicious options.

“Maybe I’ll ask them for a dance later,” Pao-Lin hard Antonio’s voice state.

She glanced up from the food table, staring at the two heroes she hadn’t acknowledged yet, too distracted by the food.

“You should!” Kotetsu encouraged, “And when you decide to ask them, I’ll be rooting for you.”

“Who are you going to ask?” Pao-Lin spoke up, earning a startled reaction from Antonio and a small, “Oh, hey, Dragon Kid,” from Kotetsu.

Antonio cleared his throat, somewhat relieved that it was only Pao-Lin, “Uh, I’m going to ask someone I like to dance,” he explained, “At least, I think I might,” he muttered turning his head to look at Keith, who was surrounded by various girls, “I haven’t decided yet...”

Pao-Lin let out a small hum, tapping her chin in thought. After a moment of silence she made a small, “Ah!” and offered Antonio a wide smile, “I’ll be your wingman!” she exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement.

Kotetsu cupped a hand over his mouth, stifling his laughter. Antonio felt his face flush in embarrassment, “Uh, how exactly could you be my wingman if you don’t know who I’m interested in?” he asked, feeling his stomach twist with nervousness.

“Just cause I don’t know who you like, doesn’t mean I can’t help!” she replied, a wide grin still present on her face.

“Look, I know you want to help, but I think it’s best if I deal with this on my own,” Antonio explained, “Besides, if I end up getting rejected, it’ll be less embarrassing for me if you’re not there.”

The explication earned a defeated huff from Pao-Lin, “Alright...” she quietly muttered, crossing her arms and frowning. She would definitely help Antonio with his crush, because he deserved something good to happen to him. She’d just have to do it in secret.

As the two were talking, Kotetsu noticed Ivan across the room, leaning against the wall, hiding in the background as usual. He excused himself from the pair and made his way over to Ivan, being sure not to bump into anyone and give Nathan a light wave when the two spotted each other in the crowd.

+

Barnaby and Karina kept a close eye on Kotetsu, still with Antonio, as they danced with their partner, occasionally looking at them and making small talk to not appear rude.

 _This is really boring..._  the pair thought in unison, shooting each other a look as they glided past each other on the dance floor.

“You know, Barnaby, I never understood why they paired you with Wild Tiger,” the girl Barnaby was dancing with spoke up. Barnaby turned his attention to the girl, doing his best to keep the annoyed look off of his face, “But seeing the two of you now, it’s hard to imagine you apart,” she quietly continued, “You’ve got such good chemistry, even though you both fight a lot.”

The statement surprised him, as he thought she would degrade Kotetsu, but that didn’t happen, “Well, when you work with someone for a while, you get pretty used to their company,” he explained simply, offering one of his signature smiles. He briefly glanced in the direction Kotetsu had been, only to find that he had vanished. He quickly flicked his gaze around the room, finally spotting Kotetsu making his way through a crowd.

“You seem distracted,” the girl spoke up.

Baraby turned back to face her, still smiling, “Not at all,” he replied, “I just tend to be wary of my surroundings.”

+

“Hey, Origami,” Kotetsu greeted as he approached Ivan, giving a light wave and smile.

Ivan looked up towards Kotetsu, returning the smile, only to realize it didn't matter, because he was wearing his helmet, “Tiger! Hi!” he chirped, standing up a little straighter, “Uh, are you enjoying yourself?” he asked as a means to start a conversation.

Kotetsu gave a small nod in reply, flicking his eyes over to the crowd of people dancing together, even spotting Barnaby and Karina seeming to enjoy themselves, “I mean, I’m enjoying myself as much as I can,” he replied, “I was a little interested in dancing, but I doubt anyone would want to dance with an old man like me,” he explained, letting out a light laugh and shrugging his shoulders.

“You’re not _that_ old,” Ivan quietly muttered, shuffling a little closer to Kotetsu, his stomach twisting into knots, “Uh, if you really wanted to dance, um… I wouldn’t mind,” he spoke up, doing his best to keep his voice steady, “But, I’m not really _good_ at it, and my helmet would probably get in the way,” he quickly added, the words coming out slightly clumped together, “Plus, my boss probably wouldn’t like seeing us dance together...”

Kotetsu paused, thinking over what Ivan had said, his gaze shifting over various people in the room, “Let’s find somewhere more secluded then,” he finally spoke after a minute of silence, smiling softly and gesturing for Ivan to follow him, “I think I found a pretty decent place when I showed up an hour earlier.”

Ivan gave a small nod in response, trailing behind Kotetsu as they walked through the massive room, passing various people and disappearing into the crowd.

+

Pao-Lin watched Antonio carefully, surveying the rest of her surroundings. If she was going to be his secret wingman, she’d have to figure out how to help him on the side lines.

 _What would normally happen to him at parties?_ she thought, spotting Nathan in the corner of her eye. _Ah-ha!_

Nathan was enjoying themselves, chatting up a storm with various people, who seemed to be enjoying their company. Quickly, she approached them, waving lightly, “Hey, Fire Emblem, could I talk to you for a minute,” she asked, offering a small smile towards her friend.

Nathan grinned, “Girl talk?” they enquired, quickly excusing themselves from the group they had been talking with previously.

“Sort of,” Pao-Lin began, rubbing the back for her neck nervously, “I actually came to ask, could you leave Bison alone during the party?” she hoped it didn’t come off as rude, but just in case, she quickly tagged on, “He’s trying to ask someone he likes to dance, and I know you like to flirt with him a lot, so—”

Nathan held up a hand, cutting Pao-Lin short, “Say no more, honey,” they cut in, “You can count on me to leave that precious man alone for the night,” they said, giving a light wave as they returned to mingle with various guests, “And be sure to tell him I wish him luck!”

“Will do!” Pao-Lin replied, returning the wave.

Right! One possible disaster averted!

She turned to see where Antonio was, finding him lingering by the wall where Keith was dancing with a girl, who seemed to be the fourth from the small line that had developed at the start of his arrival.

Why was he over there though? Was the person he liked dancing with Keith, or...?

Pao-Lin couldn’t help the sharp gasp that left her lips, _Could the person he’s trying to dance with be Sky High!?_

+

Kotetsu took in a deep breath, stretching out his arms as a cool breeze hit him once he walked out onto the balcony, “Man, I’ve been doing this for years, but I’m still not used to that stuffy atmosphere,” he commented, walking over to the end of the balcony to admire the view.

Ivan pulled off his helmet, briefly glancing behind him to see if anyone had followed them, “I know what you mean,” he replied, gently placing his helmet off to the side, in a potted plant, hiding it from anyone’s view, “I’m not really a huge fan of these big parties,” he continued, turning to walk up beside Kotetsu, “I tend to get kind of nervous around people, because I’m worried I’ll say the wrong thing.”

Kotetsu continued to look out at the brightly lit city, the light breeze tossing his hair in just the right direction, “I was the same way when I first started off as a hero,” he explained, “After a while, you get kind of used to talking to a bunch of people.”

The sincere smile that rested on his face made Ivan’s heart skip a beat, and the various colored lights that seemed to hit him in just the right place made Ivan’s face flush. He quickly averted his gaze towards the city, “I, I hope you’re right,” he muttered in reply, swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat.

A soft hum left Kotetsu’s lips as he pushed himself off of the railing, turning to face Ivan, holding out his hand, “Care to dance?” he asked, his smile unwavering.

“Ah—Of, of course,” Ivan quickly spoke up, shakily taking Kotetsu’s hand, “That is why we came out here, after all,” he tagged on, letting out a nervous laugh.

Kotetsu adjusted his hold on Ivan’s hand, “I’ll lead, since you don’t know how to do this very well,” he explained, placing a hand on Ivan’s hip, keeping a decent amount of space between them, “We’ll start slow,” he spoke softly, guiding Ivan, who kept a close eye on his feet, listening as Kotetsu began to hum a song the pair could dance to.

+

Barnaby felt a sigh of relief leave his lips as he finally finished his dance. Karina was beside him, equally as relieved to have finished her dance.

“I’m still getting the first dance with Kotetsu,” Barnaby deadpanned, pushing up his glasses and searching the room to find his partner.

“Oh, no you’re not! I’m going to be the first to dance with Tiger!” Karina shot back, turning her head in various directions to see where the Crusher for Justice was.

As the realization that Kotetsu was no longer in the room dawned on them, they exchanged a look and quickly began to walk around the room, in search of one of the other Heroes who might know where he went.

The first person they spotted was Antonio, who they were about to approached when Pao-Lin stepped in front of them, “What did you two need?” she asked, offering a smile to them, “Bison is busy, so I’ll be taking any questions you have for him,” she tagged on.

“Have you seen Kotetsu?” Barnaby asked.

“Earlier, yeah, but I haven’t seen him since,” she replied, “I don’t think Bison has either, because he’s been pretty focused on asking his crush to dance,” she explained, hoping the answer would suffice, and neither of them would try to approached Antonio.

“I saw him leaving with Origami,” Nathan spoke up beside the group, “He was walking over to him a few minutes before they left,” they contained, gesturing towards the direction they saw the pair walking in, “They went that way.”

Karina and Barnaby felt a sudden anger over take them, “ _Origami_...” they quietly muttered, quickly walking off in the direction that Nathan had pointed towards, without so much as another word.

Nathan and Pao-Lin exchanged a look, both in surprise and fear at what awaited Ivan with an angered Barnaby and Karina out for vengeance.

+

“You’re getting the hang of this pretty fast,” Kotetsu noted, twirling Ivan in a circle.

Ivan let out a small laugh, “Thank’s,” he replied sheepishly, “I actually thought I was doing poorly compared to you,” he admitted.

Kotetsu offered him a reassuring smile as they swayed across the floor, “Nah, you’re doing fine. You should have a little more confidence in yourself!”

Ivan felt his heart swell with happiness at Kotetsu’s words, feeling his face heat up slightly. He shifted his gaze to the side, feeling like a giddy school girl who just got complimented by her crush. He listened carefully to the song that was being hummed, wondering if it would be okay for him to get a little closer to Kotetsu, or if it would make him uncomfortable. He shifted his gaze to the older hero. His eyes were closed and he seemed so at peace, and in that same moment, Ivan had the sudden urge to kiss him. It would be quick, and maybe Tiger wouldn’t mind?

Ivan found himself slowly leaning forward, his thoughts going a million miles a minute as the space between them was slowly vanishing.

“Kotetsu!”

“Tiger!”

Barnaby and Karina called out in unison, storming onto the balcony with a fire in their eyes.

Ivan immediately jumped back, tripping over his own feet and nearly falling on the ground, had Kotetsu not grabbed him by his arms, “You okay, Origami?” he asked, somewhat startled by the sudden disturbance.

“F—fine,” he muttered in reply.

Kotetsu turned to face Barnaby and Karina offering them a small smile, “Hey, Bunny, Blue Rose. What’s up?”

Barnaby let out an annoyed huff, crossing his arms, “Old man, what are you doing out here? Did you forget we have possible sponsors to gain?” he snapped, a bitterness in his voice.

“Not only that, but if _someone_ _else_ saw you dancing with Origami you’d look like a freak,” Karina added, equally as annoyed as Barnaby, “It would make headlines! ‘Wild Tiger, the perverted, old freak dancing with a teenager, read more on page three!’”

Karina and Barnaby hadn’t intended to take out their anger on Kotetsu, but both of them were frustrated, having lost their challenge to someone who wasn’t even involved in it to being with.

Kotetsu couldn’t help but wince at the harsh words, “Jeez, what are you two so mad at me for?” he asked, “I just asked Origami to dance, that was all,” he explained, “I got bored and since you two were busy, I decided to hang out with him because he looked just as bored as me.”

“That’s not a valid enough reason—”

“Did you not hear a word we just said—”

 _And here comes the lectures..._ Kotetsu thought, letting out an exhausted sigh, shoving his hands in his pockets as he listened to the two berate him for his decisions.

Ivan watched the exchange carefully, his heart aching with guilt. He felt like he should say something, defend Kotetsu, but... Barnaby and Karina did have a few good points. Kotetsu did have sponsors he should worry about instead of focusing on Ivan, and what if someone had seen them dancing together? What if—

 _What if someone_ had _seen me almost_ _kissed_ _him...?_

“I’m sorry!” Ivan shouted over the arguing, causing Karina and Barnaby to stop mid sentence, staring at Ivan in some surprise at his sudden outburst, “I should have been the one to bring all this up earlier, but I didn’t, and this whole thing could have been avoided if I just refused Tiger’s offer,” he explained, his voice growing quieter the longer he spoke, “It’s all my fault, so if you wanna blame anyone, you should blame me...”

The three exchanged a look, Karina and Barnaby feeling guilty for taking their anger out on Kotetsu, when they should have been more mature, and acted their age.

Kotetsu turned to face Ivan, who kept his gaze fixed on the ground, “Don’t beat yourself up about this,” he spoke up, a smile resting on his face “Nothing crazy happened, and besides, you had fun didn’t you?”

Ivan gave a small nod in reply, “Yes, but—“ he was cut short as Kotetsu ruffled his hair.

“But nothing. You had fun, and that’s all that should matter, right?”

Ivan couldn’t help but smile, feeling his guilt from earlier slowly fade, “Right!”

+

Keith waved goodbye to the group of girls he had gotten the chance to dance with, “Thanks for the wonderful time! And thanks again!” he chirped, a wide smile hidden behind his mask.

Before he had the chance to do anything else, he felt someone lightly push him backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet, had Antonio not been there to catch him.

“Sky High!” Antonio exclaimed as he caught Keith by the shoulders, “Are you okay?” he quickly asked.

“I am,” Keith replied, slowly regaining his balance, “Thanks for the save, and thanks again.”

Antonio gave a small nod, shifting his gaze around the room, “Uh, I actually wanted to ask you something,” he slowly began, spotting Pao-Lin giving him an encouraging smile and thumbs-up from a few feet away. _Of course she was behind this,_ he thought, letting out a small sigh, turning his attention back to Keith, “Did... Um... Did you want to dance with me?” he asked, nervously tugging at his sleeves, thankful that no one could see his flushed face.

There was a beat of silence as Keith registered the questioned, surprised by what had been asked.

“O—obviously, if you don’t want, then we can forget that this all happened,” Antonio started to ramble, feeling his stomach twist into knots, “You’ve probably got better things to do than dance the lowest ranking hero, so I’ll just leave you alone—”

“Uh, wait,” Keith spoke up, grabbing Antonio’s elbow before he could leave, “I, I wouldn’t mind dancing with you, Bison,” the words came out soft and quiet, like he telling him a secret, “But, uh, perhaps when we’re not wearing our masks?”

Antonio felt his heart swell with joy, a wide smile placing itself on his face, “Right! Sounds like a plan!”

Pao-Lin approached the pair, giving Antonio a wide smile, “See! I told you I’d make a good wingman!” she chirped, quickly turning to face Keith, “Sorry for pushing you, by the way,” she said, offering him an apologetic look, “It was so Bison could get the chance to talk to you before you got swept away again,” she explained.

Keith smiled, ruffling her hair, “It’s quite alright! I appreciate that you helped Antonio as well!”

”Yeah, thanks for that, kid,” Antonio spoke up, his smile still present on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to leave a comment! They’re very much appreciated, and I’d love to here everyone’s thoughts on my work!


End file.
